The torso was found on Saturday evening in Gore Lane in Standon, in the east of the county.

A police spokeswoman said: “We can confirm that it is the torso of a man, and that it is linked to the ongoing joint murder investigation taking place between detectives in the Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire major crime unit and detectives in Leicestershire following the discovery of body parts in Hertfordshire and Leicestershire in recent weeks.”

The murder inquiry was sparked when a left leg and foot attached was found in a green holdall in a lay-by on the A507 in Cottered, Hertfordshire, on March 22.

On March 29, an arm, dismembered at the elbow and wrist, was discovered on a grass verge in Wheathampstead, about a 40-minute drive from Cottered.

Two days later, in Asfordby, Leicestershire – about 95 miles from Wheathampstead via the M1 and A606 – a head was discovered. This time it was a farmer on his own land who made the find.

Post-mortem examinations confirmed that the head, arm and leg had all belonged to the same man.

Police have said since it is “highly likely” that a right leg found near the A10 Puckeridge bypass in Hertfordshire on April 7 came from the same man.

A full DNA profile has been obtained from post-mortem examinations but detectives are yet to trace the victim on the missing persons register. The man was white or Asian and between 5ft 6in and 5ft 10in. His shoe size is believed to be between seven and nine.